The definitive volume on opossums, a group of ecologically and
scientifically important mammals, covering natural history,
evolution, behavior, and biogeography. Opossums are the most
diverse and ecologically important group of New World marsupials,
although only the Virginia opossum is familiar to North American
residents. In fact, many species of opossums are found in
Neotropical rainforests, savannas, and other habitats, where they
are key participants in food webs and other ecological
relationships. One species, the short-tail opossum (Monodelphis
domestica), has recently become a model organism for biomedical
researchers. Eclipsed in the public imagination by their Australian
relatives, opossums remained for many years a somewhat obscure
group, of interest primarily to taxonomists and students of
mammalian reproduction. While thousands of scientific articles have
appeared in recent years on opossum systematics, morphology,
behavior, physiology, genetics, and ecology, this important but
widely scattered literature has never been effectively
summarized-until now. In Opossums, the first book-length treatment
of these fascinating organisms, recognized authorities Robert S.
Voss and Sharon A. Jansa synthesize a wide range of available
information about the diversity, comparative biology, and natural
history of the opossum. Peering into every biological facet of the
lives of these long-neglected mammals, the volume includes *
introductory chapters explaining the paleontological and
biogeographic context for opossum evolution * an overview of the
extant fauna, which includes over 100 species in 18 genera * a
section devoted to opossum phenotypes: morphology, physiology, and
behavior * detailed information on opossum natural history,
including habitats, diets, predators, and parasites * in-depth and
novel interpretations of opossums' adaptive radiation in a
phylogenetic context Intended for undergraduate biology majors,
graduate students, and research professionals, this coherent and
original portrait of opossums will be of particular interest to
mammalogists, evolutionary biologists, and Neotropical field
biologists as well as biomedical researchers working with
Monodelphis domestica as a model organism.
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